A Life Worth Fighting For
by fictionalwriter93
Summary: This was not how Kylas life was supposed to go. She was never meant to be at the Jedi Temple in the first place, and she was certainly never meant to meet him. And yet...that was exactly what needed to happen. A story that begins a year before the events that lead to Kylo Ren being created, and follows through The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi & beyond...
1. Chapter 1

This was not how Kyla expected her childhood to go. For her, it was going to be spent with her family on her home planet, a place that knew only peace. But life has a strange way of guiding you to your destiny, and this was one such journey. As she looked out of the window of the ship, she watched as her parents faded out of view, waving lovingly as they did. Her gaze was fixed on them until the very end and she tried hard to fight back the tears.

 _"This is going to be good for you both, Kyla. You and your sister both have the gift, and now you can learn to use it properly and for a good cause" her mother told her in her final embrace before boarding._

 _"Yes mother, but...but I don't want to be a Jedi. Their lives are too constricting. To never be allowed to love? To fear passion? It makes no sense to me" she replied, desperate to get out of leaving._

 _"Your sister needs you there, Kyla. The force is strong in her, we can all feel it. She needs a teacher to guide her, and you need that guidance too. Just give a try, please? For us?" her father said._

 _Kyla looked back at her younger sister, already bouncing around with excitement on board the ship. It was true, her sister was very strong with the force and letting her go alone was simply out of the question._

 _"Very well. For you. For her. But promise you'll write to us, and come and visit when you can?" she agreed, trying to be more positive about the situation._

 _"Of course. As often as Leia can spare us" her mother promised. "Now go, before this gets any harder for any of us. Our love goes with you both."_

 _Kyla hugged her parents one last time, before lifting her packed bag over her shoulder and walking towards her future._

Her sister jumping to sit at her side broke her out of her daze suddenly.

"You look sad Kyla. Why do you look sad?" she asked, just about as concerned as a seven-year-old could be.

"I'm not sad, silly. I'm just..." Kyla replied, but her sister pulled a face that said she wasn't accepting any lie she was about to tell. "Okay, I am sad. About leaving mother and father. Aren't you sad about that?"

"A bit. But I'm _excited_! We're going to be Jedi Knights and have a lightsaber and make things float and, and...STUFF!" she beamed with excitement. Kyla couldn't help but feel more cheerful watching her sister jump around excitedly. "Oh, to be that unaware" she thought to herself, wishing she could have even an ounce of the enthusiasm her sister was showing. She ceased with the jumping around the ship and returned to sit next to Kyla, resting her head on her arm.

"It's going to be alright Kyla. We're going to be alright...aren't we?" it was the first time Kyla heard a glimmer of doubt in her voice.

"Yes Rey. We're going to be alright" she replied, pulling her sister closer as they saw their destination coming closer into view. The two sisters had a destiny bigger than either of them could have imagined.


	2. Chapter 2

It had been just another day at the Jedi Temple for the young Padawan's training under Master Luke Skywalker. Their lives had become a routine, nothing ever really changed. But as the sun began to set, they were all summoned to welcome two new arrivals.

"Just what we need. Two more beginners to accommodate" said the eldest girl there. She was tall, and she was strong, her dark black hair enhanced her harsh features. Her voice was filled with resentment as she watched the ship descend. "Why does your uncle insist on bringing more people here when there's already enough of us?" she asked of the boy next to her.

"I don't know, Onyxia. And I don't know why you'd think I know anything about what my uncle does" he replied. Ben Solo was not one for conversation, especially when it came to members of his own family.

"Come on, everyone! Line up please, I want you all to be warm and welcoming to our newest students" Luke shouted, motioning to his students to do as he asked.

"Well, let's get this over with" Ben muttered to himself, walking to find his place in the line-up as Onyxia followed close behind.

The dust from the ground lifted as the ship landed a few metres away from the students and Luke, who was ready to greet the two new arrivals. Ben stood there dutifully, but he truly had no interest in having to get to know another two people. His interest in the Jedi training had began to dim, something else was occupying his mind more often than not these days. But he pushed that to the side for now. He was going to play his part.

The door to the ship opened, and the ramp descended. Little Rey ran straight off towards Master Luke, extending her hand and introducing herself. Luke responded by shaking her hand, if not a little surprised at the excitement and energy he could feel from such a young child. They all could feel it.

"Wonderful. They've sent us an overly excited brat" Onyxia whispered to Ben. This was not a girl who liked the younger Padawan's, especially one who she sensed power in. It was not in Onyxia's nature to feel like she had to compete; to be the best girl, to be the most powerful girl but especially not for the attentions of Ben Solo. Not that he had ever shown her any, but she was determined with time, he would notice her for the powerful Jedi she was becoming. Ben did not reply to this comment, he simply watched with intrigue, wondering how this young girl felt so much excitement for a life he had come to despise.

"Kyla! Come oooonnnn!" Rey shouted back to the ship. Reluctantly, Kyla began to walk down the ramp, towards Luke. Ben looked in the direction of the ship once more, his eyes meeting Kyla's as she stopped in her tracks...and that was when it happened. Neither of them quite knew exactly _what_ had happened, but a spark, a connection, a moment. Something. She looked at this tall, handsome young man, with raven hair that blew softly in the breeze. There was something familiar about him, yet she knew they had never met before. It was like someone had installed a magnet in her chest and it was pulling her towards this complete stranger. Luke looked between them, but dismissed it as being nothing more than curiosity. He spoke, breaking off Kyla's attention:

"Welcome, Kyla. I hope you and your sister, Rey, will be happy here. Everyone, I expect you to..." Luke trailed off, telling his students how he expected them to be kind and welcoming, and introducing each of them at a distance.

Ben stared at the pale but beautiful girl; the two sisters looked alike in almost every way, except their hair. Rey's hair was brown, but Kyla, her hair was as red as the sunset, her curls framing her face like a work of art. He had never seen someone so beautiful in his life. She was like a flame, a bright light that he could only continue to be drawn to. Onyxia noticed this immediately and in that moment, she realised her place in what had become her complete world was at risk. In all her years with him, Ben had never once looked at her like that. As something light was growing in Ben, something dark was growing in her.

"Thank you all, you may return to your living quarters" Luke said. Everyone walked away in the direction of their individual huts. Ben walked slower than usual, he almost didn't want to leave. Onyxia walked loyally beside him.

"You can't be serious" she almost spat out.

"What?" Ben replied, not appreciating the venom in her voice.

"That pale little thing? You couldn't take your eyes off of her!"

"Don't. Just...don't!" he huffed as he picked up his pace and walked towards his hut, away from everyone else. Onyxia, filling with jealousy, did the same.

Luke walked Kyla and Rey towards their new homes. "Leia told me a little about you prior to your arrival, but please, remind me how old you both are?" he asked politely.

"I'm sixteen years old. Rey is seven" she replied.

"She's very...energetic for a seven-year-old, isn't she?" Luke laughed, as they both watched Rey skipping ahead singing to herself.

"You have no idea" Kyla laughed back, starting to feel a little easier. "Master Skywalker, I have to confess...my being here, it's more for her sake than mine. I don't think being a Jedi is what I want" she confessed.

"Leia told me. Your mother told her that you don't believe that you have as much of a connection to the force. Your powers are very much...mind based, I believe?" he asked, genuinely interested.

"Yes. I'm not much of a fighter, but I can feel, sense and connect to things without always wishing to. I was hoping you might be able to help me control that?"

"Of course. But I expect you to attend all lessons as the others do. Who knows, perhaps you'll find the Jedi life more appealing that you do now" he tried to be reassuring, but he could already sense that this girl was not destined to become a Jedi. Nevertheless, he would help her. Something told him it was imperative that he did so.

"Ah! Here we are girls. I've put you close together so that it makes you feel more settled. If you need anything, you need only ask. Welcome, once again. I truly hope you will both find your purpose here" Luke smiled and left the sisters to it. Rey was gone within an instant, excited to have what to her was her own playhouse to live in.

Kyla opened the door to her hut. It was dark and bare, but she was determined to make it as homely as possible. She wanted to feel positive about what was to come. "Find my purpose..." she thought to herself. If only she could have known at that moment, that her purpose went far beyond the Jedi training academy, far beyond even herself, but would one day influence the outcome for the whole galaxy...


	3. Chapter 3

The first morning at the Jedi training academy was in full swing for both Rey and Kyla. Kyla watched as Rey settled quickly into her class with the younger Padawan's, her enthusiasm seemed to grow with every minute that went by and she was good. Incredibly good. Luke seemed impressed with the promise she was showing, and it helped Kyla feel more at ease with having left her home. If this was what Rey needed, she would do her best to be the supportive big sister she had always been in everything else. And yet, something was holding her back from feeling truly happy about her new situation.

Kyla hesitantly sat down, awaiting her first class with the older students. She sat away from everyone, unsure of exactly who to speak to or where she might fit in with this already established group of young Jedi in training. She found herself scanning the area for Ben, there was something that felt almost comforting about him when she first noticed him the previous day, and when her eyes found him that strange feeling flooded over her again. Ben was doing his best not to let himself be drawn to her in the same way he had been when he first saw her – an attachment of any kind was the last thing he needed. Onyxia had settled herself beside him and was doing her best, as always, to keep his attention on her. This was a girl who had little care for the Jedi rules about attachment and emotions for other people, when it came to Ben Solo, goodness help anyone that dared to challenge what she thought of as her place as his favourite.

"Welcome everyone. Today, I want to give Kyla a chance to demonstrate her ability and for you all to be supportive as she does so. Onyxia, would you be good enough to help Kyla with this task?" Luke asked.

A smirk formed on Onyxia's face, it was clear she was already relishing the thought of giving Kyla a beating. "With pleasure" she said, almost too keenly as she jumped up to stand in the middle of the now gathered circle of Padawan's. Any chance she had of humiliating a threat to her position in front of Ben was a chance she was going to make the most of.

Ben could hear the venom in her voice all too clearly. He had never expressed any interest in Onyxia, and he disliked the sense of entitlement she had towards him. He did however know that she was an incredibly dangerous fighter, and he couldn't help but find himself willing Kyla luck in her trial. Kyla herself was hesitant, but reluctantly rose to join to Onyxia in the centre of the circle.

"Now, you can use these as it is your first combat session together" Luke said, handing them each a training lightsaber – he was all too aware that there was tension coming from Onyxia at this point, and the last thing he wanted to do was have her wielding a fully fledged lightsaber during combat with a beginner.

"Don't worry. I'll go easy on you" Onyxia said, smiling as she spun the training lightsaber in her hand.

"Please, don't feel you need to. How will I learn anything?" Kyla said, shuffling her training lightsaber in her hand, wishing she could match Onyxia's trick in some way. She was not looking forward to this.

"As you wish" Onyxia replied, the smirk appearing on her face once more, as she lunged directly at Kyla. But Kyla's reflexes were better than she even knew. She dodged Onyxia with ease and continued to do so with every failed attempt at getting a hit Onyxia tried. Ben watched, fascinated, as did the others. This was a girl who had had no training and was besting one of the most disciplined and determined students at the academy. As time went by, Onyxia was getting more and more agitated; this was not how this was supposed to go, and every so often she caught a glimpse of Ben watching Kyla intently out of the corner of her eye. In contrast, Kyla was calm, dodging the attack, eventually finding confidence to attack back. Within a few minutes, Kyla had Onyxia on the ground.

"I'm so sorry, are you okay?" she asked, genuinely worried by her own ability. She extended a hand towards Onyxia.

"I'm fine" Onyxia replied through gritted teeth, ignoring the hand being held out to her. Getting herself up off the ground, the humiliation she now felt was building inside her.

"I'm sorry...I said not to go easy on me" Kyla apologised again, genuine in her meaning.

"She wasn't" Ben spoke up, almost like a thought slipping out. His eyes widened a little when he realised that he had in fact given voice to his thought and noticed everyone looking at him, including Kyla. Once his eyes met hers that magnetic pull awoke between them once more, and neither of them had the strength to look away. Onyxia could not believe what she was seeing, and the jealousy and rage, added to the humiliation was tearing her apart from the inside. It didn't take Luke long to see that this could be a problem, but ever the optimist and determined to keep the peace he interjected – "Thank you both, Onyxia that was kind of you to help Kyla with her first test. Kyla...you said you weren't much of a fighter. I think you may have just proven yourself wrong. Well done".

The Padawan's gave her an enthusiastic round of applause, and Kyla couldn't help but feel proud of herself. Perhaps this was where she was meant to be after all? She looked around, thanking them all and smiling at their friendly faces. When her eyes once again found Ben, he too was smiling back at her, something she hadn't yet seen him do. For Ben, this was becoming the first time since he could remember where he had felt something genuine and positive towards another person; he did not simply tolerate her as a fellow student, he was growing to admire her.

The classes continued, and Kyla matched her sisters' ability, much to the surprise of everyone but mostly herself. It was a long and difficult day, but she could not help feeling happy with what she had done. She gathered her things and began to walk back towards her hut, but not long into her journey some of the books she was carrying escaped her arms. As she went to pick them up, a hand reached her items before hers did. She looked up as her eyes met once more with the dark, beautiful eyes of Ben Solo.

"Oh, sorry, I can be so clumsy sometimes...thank you" she almost stuttered out, taken aback by just how attractive this boy was up close.

"It's okay...here, let me help you with that" he replied, taking hold on some of the things she was carrying.

"Thank you. It's Ben, right?" she asked, smiling hesitantly.

"That's me. And you're Kyla?" he replied, awkwardness growing inside him.

"That's me" she smiled. "Would you mind helping me take this back to my hut? I rather underestimated the number of things I had to carry..." she could sense his awkwardness, but inside she felt the same. Perhaps this would give her an opportunity to fix that.

"Of course" Ben said, smiling again. They turned towards to Kyla's hut once more.

"So, you're the son of Han and Leia? That must be interesting" she enquired, it was the first thing she could think of to ask.

"Why interesting?" he asked, frowning slightly at the notion of his parents interesting.

"Well Leia, she's an incredible person. And Han...well it sounds like a lot of fun to be Han Solo. Minus the being frozen in carbonite part...sorry, that's not the best thing to bring up is it..." she started to ramble, quickly stopping herself from making herself seem any less articulate than she felt she was coming across.

"It could be worse. Everyone else thinks I'm lucky, so I guess I must be" Ben replied, almost without emotion. This stumped Kyla a little, how could he not know how lucky he was to have such brave, good and well-known parents?

"You guess?" she asked.

"If I really was lucky, I would be with them, not here" and with that, Kyla sensed genuine sadness in his voice, though she could tell he was trying to cover it up.

"You don't want to be here?" she hesitated before asking, she hadn't meant to get this deep into his personal life this quickly. She almost felt like she was prying.

"I...it wasn't a choice I made" Ben chose his words carefully, trying not to give too much away about how he felt about his parents, his being sent to train as Jedi. He hadn't really had a conversation about how he _felt_ in a long time.

"I see.." Kyla replied, almost wishing she hadn't asked. She then realised just how similar their situation was "...me too" she confessed. Ben was surprised by this, everyone else who was there was enthusiastic, excited even to be there. He had never met anyone else who didn't think it was the biggest honour in the galaxy. He had never met anyone who he felt could perhaps understand him.

"Then why are you here?" he asked.

"My sister. I couldn't let her come alone. She's so young and she's everything to me" she smiled as she spoke about Rey, and Ben could feel the love she had for sister as she did so. He admired this greatly. Trying to make the conversation more positive again, Ben joked - "She's quite powerful your sister isn't she? She has a real...love for it all". Kyla could tell Ben used 'love' as a way of saying that Rey was extremely enthusiastic, having seen how much she got into her classes earlier in the day. Kyla laughed at this and agreed. " So you should you though..." he continued, "your performance today was unlike anything I've ever seen. Especially for someone who doubts themselves so much..."

Kyla stopped dead in her track at this statement and furrowed her brows - "How do you know I doubt myself?"

"You're very easy for me to read" Ben said, very matter of factly. Kyla didn't know what to reply to this. She mostly hoped he couldn't tell how much she was enjoying her time with him at this point.

"I see. Perhaps you could help me with that kind of thing...I know that being able to read minds and influence them is part of Jedi training, but I've always been told that the ability I have for someone untrained is rather...unprecedented. It's something I'd like to work on more than just in classes" she replied, changing the subject a little, but also trying to think of a way of guaranteeing herself more time with Ben.

"Oh...sure. Yes, I could help you" Ben replied, surprised, but happy that she wanted his help. He didn't feel that she really needed it, but if it meant more time with her he wasn't about to pass that opportunity up. They continued speaking about general things until they finally arrived at Kyla's hut, where Rey ran out of her own living area to greet her sister.

"Kyla! How was your day? I've been practising since class finished!" Rey beamed at her sister, noticing the tall boy beside her. Her head tilted slightly looking up at him.

"Rey, this is my new friend, Ben. Say hello" Kyla motioned to Rey to greet Ben.

Rey walked up to him and held out her hand just as she had done the previous day with Master Skywalker.

"Hello Ben. I'm Rey. You can be my friend too if you like"

Ben was not one to usually engage much with the other Padawan's but there was something innocent and charming about this little girl. He looked at Kyla who motioned with her eyes to take the hand, otherwise risk Rey standing there in silence until he did so. He took the hand and shook it.

"Hi Rey. I'll um...yes. Friends"

Kyla couldn't help but noticed how awkward he seemed to be. There was something she sensed in that moment that was holding Ben back. She could feel a joy that stemmed from the idea of him having friends, having genuine connections with others, but there was something equally matching that joy which felt conflicted. To Ben, it seemed as though friendship or attachment to any other person was a danger. Rey on the other hand looked thoroughly pleased with herself at the gaining of a new friend.

"Kyla, come and see what I've been doing, I think you'll be proud of me!" she ran back into her hut and started preparing the things she wanted to show her sister.

"I should probably go and see what she's been up to. Thank you for helping me with that" she motioned to her things, Ben gently piled them back on top of the things she was already carrying.

"It was my pleasure. I'll see you tomorrow then?" there was something in Ben's voice that almost sounded afraid. Something that sounded like he needed reassurance that she would still be there the next day.

"Yes, I'll see you tomorrow" she smiled at him again. He stood there for a few seconds, just trying to comprehend how much had changed in one day. He turned and headed on his way back to his own hut, unable to erase the smile that had formed on his face.

He reached his hut, still smiling. How could this girl have created such an impact on his life in just one day? He had not felt this much hope, happiness or excitement for tomorrow in months. He walked over to his bed, sitting down to think when he sensed a familiar, overbearing presence in his mind. His smile vanished.

"Well, young Solo. I do hope your resolve is not weakening...I would hate to think that my trust is misplaced in you" an invisible force spoke.

In this moment, the conflict in Ben Solo's soul began to take deep root. The fear had begun to creep in. What had until today seemed like a clear choice to him, was no longer anything of the kind.


End file.
